Double Rainbow
by FlutterStutterBOOMBOOM
Summary: Mello is more than happy to spend the summer with the red-headed hottie named Matt; Matt just wants to know what mental hospital Mello escaped from.  But cute couple or not, how can love grow in a place so very dedicated to hate?
1. Matt I

**Author's Note: Hello, m'loves! This particular plot bunny hopped its way into my heart around the end of last summer, but I wanted to wait until I could have a full summer to work on it, because it takes place during the summer and is very summer-themed. So here we go! I'm rather proud of this first chapter, actually. The POV will switch each chapter (Matt, Mello, Matt, Mello, etc.), and this first one belongs to Matt.**

**Disclaimer: Me? Own _Death Note_? Nah.**

* * *

><p><span>Matt's POV<span>

I still wasn't speaking to my parents as we pulled up to the cliché wooden sign which marked the entrance to my personal hell.

"We're here," my father said. A common enough phrase, but I suddenly found it completely obnoxious that he felt the need to point out the obvious.

"My, it's even lovelier in real life, don't you agree, Mail?"

I glared, debating whether or not I should break the silent treatment to give her a final piece of my mind while I still had the chance. Who was she to call this place 'lovely'? She got to leave in less than an hour. Me, I was stuck here. For the entire summer.

See, my parents and I weren't always on the best of terms. Honestly, we didn't get along that great, in case you missed my mother calling me 'Mail'. I mean, I guess it _is _technically my name, but all my friends called me Matt, and I wished she would, too.

I think the main problem between us was that we were so different. They were conservative Catholics, I was an Atheist. My dad loved hiking and my mom loved books, I played video games. They'd been described as the nicest people in the world, I was socially awkward at my best and a sarcastic smartass at my worst.

Maybe I was adopted.

I glanced around, not bothering to hide my contempt. Have I mentioned how much I hate the outdoors? This, I decided, was a new low, even for my parents.

I didn't expect them to go this far, actually. I had known that they'd find me out eventually- I would never go out of my way to hide it from them. And I'd always been perfectly aware that they'd freak out. I'd been ready for anything, from denial to being disowned, but this?

I, Mail Matthew Jeevas, had been sentenced to Whammy's Camp, a Catholic "hetero" camp for gay teenagers.

"Mail, please spare us the attitude," my father said. You brought this upon yourself."

I would not roll my eyes. I would not turn my back. I would not prove him right, no matter how tempted I was to let out my frustration in an exuberant showcase of classic teen angst.

Instead, I sighed heavily and got my stuff out of the trunk. I was greeted at the entrance by a bearded guy holding a clipboard. He was wearing a sweater-vest and a smile, neither of which seemed appropriate in this mother-fucking heat.

"Hey there? Can I have your name?"

"Mail Jeevas," I said tiredly.

He gave me directions and I started off, ignoring my parents behind me. Looking around, I was confronted with the strangest mix of guys I'd ever seen. 'Gay' transcends race, religion, and social classes. Unfortunately, so does hatred.

A counselor was hanging around my cabin. Yeah. You see that sentence? This was the real deal- the cheesy, stereotypical camp from every bad summer-themed movie ever made. If there were any sort of arts and crafts involved, heads would roll.

Anyway, this counselor was a guy just a little bit taller than me with onyx black hair and eyes a strange shade of blue that I'd never seen before. "Hi, I'm Rick. Are you Mail?"

"Matt. I go by Matt."

Rick smiled but ultimately ignored me and turned to my parents. "Your son is in good hands. I used to go here myself; it helped me get through a really rough time. This cabin is designated for campers who are brand new this summer, so he'll fit right in."

I was instantly torn between the urge to make a 'That's what she (or in this case, _he_) said' joke and being really surprised. I hadn't known this camp got return visitors. I wondered if it did a number on their egos, knowing that they couldn't 'fix' some kids, no matter how many times their parents sent them back. I hoped so.

"Later there'll be a tour for the campers, but if you need anything else, the main building's just over there, and that's the director out front."

We looked to see a strict-looking man standing in front of the building next door. He was talking to a tearful boy with brown pigtails. Next to them, a kid about my age with slightly overlong blonde hair leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, no parents in sight.

"Thanks for all your help," my mom said, Miss Manners as always. She watched as I started unpacking. I had gotten there early enough to claim a top bunk. Hooray for the little things.

"Listen Mail, your father and I are leaving now, but first I wanted to say something. I know you're confused right now and I know you think we're doing the wrong thing here, but I promise that everything will work out in the end. Just give this place a try, okay? This will be good for you. Trust me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this is only prolouge-long, but Chapter 2 will be longer and should be up tomorrow. I ****hope you enjoy this story and reviews would mean the world to me; I'd really love some feedback!**


	2. Mello I

**A/N: I love summer! It lets me update so much more quickly!**

**I think you guys are going to like this chapter ;)**

**Disclaimer: Death Note isn't technically mine, nor are Matt and Mello. _Technically_.**

* * *

><p><span>Mello's POV<span>

I never had a problem with being gay. To be honest, I was pretty damn good at it. (If you saw me, you'd understand. I was a dick magnet.)

That's why Roger and I never got along; that and Roger never really got along with _anyone _here. He was a total homophobe, which I guess was required to be a director at a camp made to "pray the gay away" and such, but you'd think they could get someone who at least _tried _to understand.

Either way, I was supposed to find Roger as soon as I got there. I greeted him with a snarky grin and a "Long time no see," already anticipating his response.

"Mello," he sighed.

"Man, it's good to be back," I sneered, leaning against the wall of the main building.

"Yes. That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Listen, I know your position is unique, but this is your fourth summer here."

"Wow. You and I go way back, eh good buddy?"

"Mello, would you _please _take this seriously? My only concern is your soul. You're a good kid, a child of God, but you have to let us help you. I refuse to believe that you came here with an open heart for three summers and didn't hear a single thing to change your mind. You can't keep coming back if you're not even going to make an effort to get your life on track."

I said nothing. Unlike many kids, I came to Whammy's Camp by choice, but I couldn't explain why I liked it. Roger wasn't wrong- I had absolutely no intentions of straightening out. I was proud of my sexuality _and _my religion, and I saw no reason why one should affect the other.

The first year I came here was a favor to Watari, the founder of this camp and a good friend to my parents before they died. I hadn't expected to have fun, but I did, so I kept coming back. In spite of the fire-and-brimstone sermons, Whammy's was something to keep me occupied and I always found people to hang out with.

And being surrounded by a bunch of other gay guys in a place where it was hard for the counselors to keep track of everybody wasn't so bad either.

Anyway, I was saved from Roger's wrath wrath by a kid whose appearance did nothing to hide that the only straight things about him were his long brown pigtails. He looked young, maybe twelve to my sixteen, though most kids didn't start here until they were at least thirteen.

"E-excuse me," he stuttered. "A-are you the di-director?"

"Yes, yes, what's wrong?" Roger snapped. Flamers pissed him off more than anything.

"I can't find my c-cabin and I got s-s-separated from my p-parents..."

I sighed. I wasn't a freaking babysitter, but I felt bad for the kid. "I'll handle this. You're new here?"

The boy nodded pathetically, sniffling.

"And do you have _any _idea where you're supposed to be?"

"The guy at the entrance told me to look for someone named Rick? I think?"

I nodded. "Come with me," I said, leading him to the cabin across from where we were standing. "Hey Rick," I called.

"Mello! Nice to see you; shame you're back, though."

"Mmm. Is this one of yours?" I gestured to Pigtails.

"What's your name, young man?"

"Jeremy," he said quietly.

"Jeremy Lucer? Yes, you're in here. Choose any bed that's not already taken."

He walked in. There were three sets of bunk beds, same as every other cabin. Two of the top bunks had already been claimed, one of which had an actual person on it. He was playing with a Nintendo DS, so all I could see of him at first was the top of his red-haired head, but he looked up when Jeremy set his stuff down on the bed under his.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Okay, we'd had plenty of attractive guys there over the years. I'd even dated some of them, only as summer boyfriends of course. But this guy put them all to shame.

He looked about my age, but smaller, with a body type somewhere between slim and scrawny. His hair was that dark auburn color that made you want to run your fingers through it (or was that just me?) and his striped t-shirt suited him _very _well.

He was superstar cute, and there he was, just waiting for me to snatch him up.

"Hey you! What's your name?"

"Me? I'm Matt." Matt. It was perfect on him.

"The director wants to see you." A total lie, but according to the yahoos who ran this place, I was going to Hell anyway.

"Why?"

"Don't know. He just told me to come here and get some kid named Matt." Jeremy was looking at me with a confused face, but I waved my hand for him to be quiet.

I liked that Matt didn't bother with the ladder; just slid down onto the wooden floor with a nice _thud! _It made him seem cool, easygoing.

I took him around to the back of the cabin.

"Isn't the main building the other way?" he asked.

I didn't answer, I just met his eyes (blue eyes, beautiful dark blue eyes) and smirked.

Then, I pushed him up against the wall and kissed him.


	3. Matt II

Matt's POV

I shoved the blonde-haired kid away from me, more on instinct than anything else. "What the-?"

"That wasn't very nice," he teased.

"Wha- Who are you?"

"Fair enough; I should have introduced myself. My name is Mihael, you can call me Mello, and I would very much like to be your boyfriend."

Was he on _drugs_? "Based on what? You just met me! I could be a total jerk for all you know!"

"I'm willing to take that chance. Besides, you've got that innocent look about you."

"I do not!" I cried before realizing that pouting didn't really help my case. The point was that this guy was _clearly _a psycho. To be honest, he wasn't bad looking, but if making out with random guys wasn't a warning sign of a nutjob/rapist, I didn't know what was. "Just stay away from me," I snapped, before stalking back to my cabin.

"What'd the director want?" the kid with pigtails asked.

"Nothing. Hey, did you know that blonde guy? He was with you, right?"

"Yeah, I was lost and he helped me. Why?"

"He's a creep," I muttered.

"Oh..." It was quiet for a minute, then he said, "I should find my parents. Say goodbye and stuff."

"Yeah."

He got up but turned back to me. "I'm Jeremy, by the way. Nice to meet you."

* * *

><p>As the last of the guys came in, I noticed just how mixed of a group we were.<p>

Apart from me and Jeremy, there was John, a football player who insisted that "This is all a big fucking mistake. I'm no fag." There was Near, a quiet kid who had apparently signed himself up. There was Chris, an emo kid who refused to say anything about himself. And last of all was Ben, who was loud but actually pretty funny.

"So, Ben, John, Matt, Jeremy, Chris, and _Near, _huh?" John sneered. As someone with an uncommon name myself, I was liking this guy less and less by the minute.

"My real name is Nate."

"Then why-"

"Because it's just what I like to be called, okay?"

John looked mad at being snapped at, but before he could say anything, Rick came and told us it was time to see the camp. I followed everyone outside but somebody grabbed my arm.

"Not you again," I groaned.

"Relax. I just wanted to apologize. I'm kind of the 'direct approach' type."

"I hadn't noticed."

"Let me make it up to you. How 'bout a private tour?"

"As in you and me alone? Pass."

"C'mon, I won't try anything. Trust me, I know this place was better than anyone."

I was still totally suspicious, of course, but he seemed significantly less crazy now and going with him seemed better than hanging around and dealing with the boring counselors. "Lead the way," I sighed.

He waited until no one was looking, then started off in the other direction. He showed me the general stuff: the lake, the dining hall, et cetera. He even took me inside the main building, though we didn't stay long because, despite Mello's reassurances otherwise, I was sure we would get caught.

"Thanks for showing me around." Maybe Mello wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Oh, we're not done yet. I saved the best for last, baby."

Two red flags instantly went up for me. The first was him calling me 'baby'. The second was that he was leading me into the woods. Now maybe I'd watched too many horror films, but as far as I knew, nothing good had ever come out of going into the woods alone with a rather sketchy stranger. "Where are you taking me?" I demanded.

"See over there, how a path kind of forms between the trees?"

"Yeah."

"If you follow it for a while, it'll lead you straight into town. You can't escape or anything 'cause they do roll calls and such, but you can slip away and get coffee sometimes if you're careful. I even got away with seeing a movie once."

"Wow. How many people know about this?"

"Just you and me, I think. I've shown people before, but none of them came back this year."

"Is this your second summer here?"

"Fourth."

"_Fourth? _And your parents still haven't given up yet?"

He didn't answer for a long time. "My parents don't send me here. I come on my own."

"Really? You seemed pretty cool about liking guys when we were out behind that cabin."

"I am. I don't come here to get straight. I come here 'cause it's fun. I know it sounds crazy but..."

"So, does that mean that your parents accept you? Like, as gay?"

"My parents... aren't around anymore."

"Oh. I... I'm sorry." Me and my big fucking mouth.

He nodded curtly, then abruptly changed the subject. "I have one more thing to show you." He led me to a clearing not far from the path.

"What's this?"

"This, he said, with a smirk that made me anxious about the rest of his sentence, "is where campers come to make out."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah? And what are you showing me this for?"

"For when you change your mind about being my boyfriend."

"You're an ass, you know that?"

"Just you wait, Mattie. Just you wait."


	4. Mello II

**Author's Note: Sorry this one took a bit longer, and I think it's a bit shorter as well DX. But at least it's up! By the way, thanks for all of your amazing reviews! I don't think I'll be able to update tomorrow, but the next chapter won't be long. Reveiws would totally put a smile on my face!**

* * *

><p><span>Mello's POV<span>

Making Matt mine would clearly be harder than I had initially hoped, but I wasn't about to give up without a fight.

I couldn't find him at breakfast the next morning, but I caught him at the opening assembly. He was with Jeremy and some goth kid with shaggy black hair and a lip ring.

I snuck up behind him and threw my arms around his waist. "Are you in love with me yet?"

"Get off me!"

"I thought you said this guy was a creep," Jeremy said.

"I did. He is."

"But I'm _your_ creep," I sing-songed. "Switch seats with Jeremy, I want to sit next to you."

"I'm fine where I am, thanks."

"Hey Jeremy-"

"No."

"What about you, man?" I asked the guy on Matt's left.

"Whatever," he said, getting up.

"_Chris!_" Matt cried as I slouched into the empty seat.

Chris didn't look back. Instead, he retreated to the back row and sat with his arms crossed, glaring at anyone wearing Abercrombie.

I wound my arm around Matt's shoulders.

"_Mello!_ Are you- well, I guess I already knew you were crazy, but _honestly? _Don't you think someone will _notice?_"

"Relax. Everyone knows me here. They know I'm a lost cause." It was the truth; even though a couple counselors saw us (you could tell by the glares), they did nothing about me so obviously coming on to another dude. They didn't even ask me to move my arm. As for Matt, they seemed to accept his (futile) attempts at edging away from me as progress, so they left him alone, too.

Finally, Roger stood before us. "Gentlemen," he called. He waited for us to quiet down before continuing. "Welcome. The first thing I would like to make clear is that none of you are here through any fault of your own." He started with this every year, and he _still _didn't believe a word of it. "You are here because you have been tempted, and these temptations have led you from God's path. But we're here to help. Our Lord is the greatest source of forgiveness. I can that no matter how far from Jesus you feel, no matter how convinced you are that you can't change, you _are _capable of freeing yourselves from your past sins. I realize that not all of you want to be here-" I felt Matt twitch "-but your loved ones have intervened and before long you'll realize that they truly had your best interests at heart. Everything we do here is for your benefit, and though there will be a lot of work involved, we hope that you'll enjoy yourselves as well. And if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to come see me. Thank you, that is all. Have a great day and have a great summer."

Slowly, people started to clear out. "Where ya headed, gorgeous?" I asked Matt.

"Although my better judgment is screaming at me not to give you any information that would allow you to stalk me more than you already do, I must inform you that I'm supposed to go to a 'Homosexuality in Society' group in Building C, because I forget where that is."

"I see you had other things on your mind when I was giving you the grand tour. You weren't checking me out, were you?"

"Must every single thing that comes out of your mouth be a pick-up line?"

"I have a few ideas about what you could put _into _my mouth instead if you'd prefer."

"...Just show me the way."

"As luck would have it, I'm going to the same building. Come along."

There was no canoeing or rock-climbing at Whammy's Camp. Instead, we had 'groups'- discussions led by a counselor in which they tried to convince us that the road to heaven was straight. Some of them were held outside provided the weather allowed it; a few even had activities or games to go along with them. In short, it was nonstop group therapy.

"Well, here we are," I said. "I believe the room you're looking for is the room on the left. I'm supposed to head to the right. Understand? Good. Now, let's not go."

"You mean ditch?"

"I didn't show you how to get out of here for nothing."

"I'm not going to ditch."

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a goody two-shoes."

"Just because I'm not stupid enough to skip on the first day..." he trailed off, shaking his head, and preceded me through the door. I gave up and started off to the right, but he suddenly turned around. "Maybe some other time."


	5. Matt III

**A/N: So, this only took two weeks to write XD To be honest, I'm still not really happy with it, but I should tell you that it isn't filler (though some of it seems like it). Everything will work out later, I promise. In the meantime, review!**

* * *

><p><span>Matt's POV<span>

Jeremy found me later that day playing my DS, sprawled across his bed.

"Matt? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" I said, not coming back to reality until I finished the level. "Oh yeah, I'm fine, just too lazy to climb up to my own bunk." I grinned sheepishly. "I can move if you like."

"No, stay. How'd your day go?"

"Fine, I guess. I hear they don't start with the over-the-top gay bashing 'til, like, a week in."

"Yeah. It's gonna be worse for me, I just know it. I wish I looked more like you. Not that I don't like my long hair; I just... it's always the first thing people notice. They always know what I am right away."

"Having long hair doesn't make you a flamer. Mello has long hair and he's-" I didn't let myself finish that sentence.

"But _pigtails_?"

He had a point, but... "So you're a little different. Pigtails suit you."

"Thanks."

I was starting to feel bad for him. He was a really nice kid, but it seemed like these religious Nazis would tear a shy little guy like him apart. "How old are you, anyway?"

"I just turned fourteen last month."

"Really?" I asked with my eyebrows raised. I didn't mean to be rude, but he looked so much younger.

"Yeah, I know I don't really look it. But what about you?"

"Oh, I'm sixteen."

"Playing meet 'n' greet, boys?" Ben called, strutting in, John shuffling behind him.

"Whatever. What's up?"

"Have you guys met that counselor who just goes by L?"

I snickered. "Oh yeah. I was in one of his groups. Weirdest forty-five minutes of my life."

"What's wrong with him?" Jeremy asked.

"He's, like, really intense. It's freaky. And he has _no _social skills _at all_."

John rolled his eyes. "Dude's a creep. Probably a homo himself."

"Actually, I think the entire staff is made up of ex-campers."

"So _everyone _here is into guys?" John said incredulously. "Perfect. Just perfect."

"Oh come _on_, John. You have to be here for a reason." Ben insisted.

"I told you, it was a mistake. I'm nothing like you people." He left in a hurry.

Ben shook his head. "God. I'm not easy to piss off, I'm really not, but he gets under my skin. It's like he thinks he's better than us because he's so far in the closet. I mean, there's no way he's straight, am I right?"

"Yeah, maybe," I sighed. I was suddenly fed up with all the drama in here. I went outside, wanting to find Mello for some reason. I still didn't like him very much, but at least I knew what to expect from him. As reckless and impulsive as he seemed, he'd sort of become my constant around here. But where would he be?

I checked the picnic tables and around the main building. I had no idea what cabin he slept in either, so I ended up wandering around until I found him reading a book under a random tree in the sunlight.

I kicked him in the shin to get his attention. "Hey."

He looked kind of pissed, but he got over it once he saw who it was. "Oh, hey. Sit down."

I lowered myself to the ground. "What're ya readin'?"

"Contraband," he drawled, turning back to the book. He caught my confused look an smirked. "It's homo-erotica." He laughed at my blush. Bastard.

"You're a pervert," I muttered.

"Aw, don't be like that. If you play nice, I might even let you borrow it when I'm done."

"Don't be such a flirt."

"I'll have you know that I'm very selective with my romantic interests. You should consider yourself quite privileged to be the subject of my affection."

"I don't care, Mello. I'm _not _interested."

"Hey, you came over here all on your own. Speaking of which, what's up?"

"I dunno; I'm bored."

"So you admit I entertain you."

"Well, if there's one thing I'd never call you, it's boring."

"What about ugly?"

"Oh, I don't know. You could totally get ugly in old age."

"Maybe, but at least now I know you think I'm hot."

"All I said was that you aren't ugly."

"Good enough."

"You just don't quit, do you?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he stood up, offering me his hand to help me up along with him. "Look, dinner's in, like, five minutes, but meet me after lights out tonight."

"What for?" I asked suspiciously, because, really, meeting a creep with a crush on me in the dark had never been particularly high on my bucket list.

"Because what good is it knowing the way out of here if I don't get to kidnap you once in a while?"


	6. Mello III

**Author's Note: Welcome back! Just two quick things: A) The town mentioned in this chapter is fictional, and B) although I'm pretty sure by now that the rating will go up eventually, if any of you thinks it should go from T to M now, I'll change it. Oh, and a side note, I keep trying to make the chapters longer, but someone has to let me know if they're getting too short. Just let me know! Now, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><span>Mello's POV<span>

I didn't realize exactly how far I'd fallen for Matt until approximately fifteen minutes after lights out.

I wasn't an overly sensitive guy. I'd been stood up before; I'd stood some people up. It happened. But for some reason, the thought that Matt might just let me stand here all night was making me panic. The worst part was that I knew I was being ridiculous- he was probably just running late. After all, even if we weren't exactly 'friends', it wasn't like he outright _hated _me- right? I'd been operating under the assumption that it was just sort of our thing- me flirting with him and him playing an extreme form of hard-to-get.

So, needless to say, after turning this all over in my head time and time again, I was quite relieved when I saw my lovely little redhead ambling over to meet me. "You're late," I accused. He just shrugged, apparently too cool for me.

We didn't talk much as we made or way towards town. I tried to take his hand a few times. He didn't let me, but at least he seemed a bit amused.

"Where are we going, anyways?" he asked once the lights of civilization were close enough to see clearly.

I glanced at my phone to check the time. "I know an ice cream place that's still open. My treat."

"Really? Thanks."

I showed him a couple key places on the way: the movie theater, the mall, the best place to get pizza. All that jazz. Finally, we reached the simple white building with its equally plain sign: "Amaranth Ice Cream".

"Amaranth?" Matt asked.

"That's the town. I think it's named after some sort of flower."

"Oh."

"The flavors are listed over there if you want to look. There aren't a whole bunch, but it's really good ice cream."

He glanced at the list, and I'll have you know that I didn't even check him out while he was distracted. And they say I have no self-control.

He ended up getting strawberry and I, of course, got chocolate. We sat at one of the picnic tables out front as darkness began to creep up, contrasting with how Matt's face lit up as he took his first taste. "This is delicious!"

"I told you so," I laughed. I tried to be a gentleman and not, you know, _attack _the cone and completely devour it within five minutes, but it was tough. Chocolate was like that.

"How'd you find this place?"

"Well, when I was thirteen, the very first summer I came to Whammy's, I started seeing this guy. He was the way who showed me the way into town. After that, we kind of forgot all about the camp and started spending entire days exploring. Eventually, Roger had enough and called the kid's parents to take him home. The owner of the camp is a family friend of mine, so I got to stay, but I was still in massive trouble," I recalled casually, almost nostalgically.

He stared at me, then asked, with a cold edge to his voice, "So is _that _why you come here? To find a guy, lead him on all summer, then forget about him?"

That hurt a little bit. "Whoa. Don't just judge me. He was the only one I ever dated at camp- well, there was this one guy last year, but that didn't last long."

"Why not?"

"Oh, I was sleeping around."

He choked on his ice cream (which I didn't even know was possible), his eyes wide.

"Don't look at me like that. I already told you, I'm not a _man-whore_. The truth is, I wasn't really that into him, but I don't like breaking up with people, so I found someone else to fuck on the side, then I made sure that they found out about each other."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "No offense, but that's a really shitty thing to do, and really cowardly, too. If you wanted to dump him, you should have just grown a pair and gotten it over with."

I sighed. "Listen, I'm not proud of what I did, but no one's perfect. You, for example, think you're better than me and refuse to give me a chance. Why is that?" I kept my tone steady. I wasn't exactly mad and I certainly didn't want to fight, but I was notorious for my short temper and the evening was falling apart fast.

He flushed, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. "Finally, he managed, "I don't- It- That's not true!"

I raised an eyebrow but didn't press the subject, desperate to avoid a fight. I changed the subject somewhat awkwardly, but, surprisingly, it was all uphill from there.

We were still a bit wary but after a while even he loosened up and we actually had a nice time. I found out that I really, _really _liked his laugh, which I know sounds really sappy and lovesick, but if you heard it for yourself, you'd understand. The end result was that the journey back to the camp was a lot more lighthearted than the one on the way out had been.

"So," I said, keeping my voice down as we made our way out of the woods," as far as first dates go, not bad, huh?"

"That was _not _a date," he smirked, humor still dancing in his eyes. I couldn't see their deep blue color properly (it was fully dark out now), but it was nice to see them without the goggles he sometimes wore. He looked less guarded.

"Oh, I think it was. In fact, I think it was such a nice first date that I deserve a goodnight kiss."

He rolled his eyes. "Goodnight, Mello," he said, turning to leave.

I grabbed his arm. "It was totally a date," I insisted.

"We argued through half of it."

"Water under the bridge. The point is, we had fun. It was a date."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"HA!"

"...I'm going to bed."


	7. Matt IV

**A/N: So, I realize that it's been a good two months since my update. Half of it, I admit was me just being lazy/coming down with a case of writer's block, but there was one week that I was on vacation and several times that I was really just far too busy. If you're mad, I should tell you that fate already punished me: I finally got this entire chapter written and as soon as I turned my computer on to type it up, it broke :/ So here I am, with a new and improved computer, apologizing, especially since I hate this chapter. I really do. The quality suffered because I was so desperate just to get through it, so I don't know if you'll like it or not, but if you don't, I promise you better next time. And now, finally, onwards!**

* * *

><p><span>Matt's POV<span>

Near had to physically shake me to wake me up the next morning. I was exhausted, and I quickly decided it was all Mello's fault.

Nevertheless, I was quite practiced at oversleeping, so I was ready to go with time to spare. Yes, I'm awesome.

I waited for Jeremy, who smiled gratefully at me after finally having found both of his shoes. It was a lovely day and I was sure that with a little caffeine everything would start looking up.

Mello was already seated at a full table at breakfast. He seemed ready to catch up with me so we could sit together, but looked content once I waved at him. We were friends, I supposed. I'd seen a different side of him the night before, and even his perverted, cocky act was growing on me. It was hard to explain.

Jeremy and I ate alone, a few seats down from John and Ben, who sincerely looked ready to kill each other. I was seriously starting to consider the old 'lock-them-in-the-closet-until-they-make-peace' trick.

Jeremy and I had the first group of the day together, too- the infamous 'Psychology of Homosexuality' led by some counselor named Light. I think he was supposed to be really smart, because they gave him all the 'difficult' groups, but he just struck me as unpleasant.

We were sitting outside in a circle of chairs. Light had an easel next to him and a marker in his hand. Did he expect us to take notes or something? He waited until we were all there before starting.

But man, when he started, he just didn't stop. I won't get into exactly what he said, because it's best not to think about, but Jesus Christ. The worst was his completely calm voice, telling us that we had a mental disease as casually as a teacher giving a lecture, throwing out stereotypes to explain what was 'wrong' with us: we were just confused, we'd been tempted by the devil, it was just teenage rebellion…

I was even more tired than I had been in the morning. I think I might have actually dozed off in one of my next groups, but if I did, no one called me out on it. It was all kind of a blur, to be honest.

So at lunch, when I sat down next to Mello and he pulled me so close to him that I was practically in his lap, I just sort of went with it and slumped against him.

"Finally falling for me?"

"I'm tired," I whined unashamedly. "I had stupid Yagami this morning."

"Ah. How'd that go?"

"Bad," I muttered irritably, picking at my salad. There wasn't enough junk food here to suit my tastes, though Mello seemed to have an endless supply of chocolate bars.

"Where's Jeremy?" Mello asked. "Don't you usually eat with him?"

"He's…" My eyes scanned the room. "Huh. That's weird. He's usually really hungry by this time… Mind if I go look for him?"

"Nah. I'll save your seat in case you come back, though."

"Such a gentleman," I muttered sarcastically as I got up. For some reason, I'd sort of been hoping that he'd come with me. Maybe I'd just gotten so used to him following me around that I'd just grown to anticipate his undying devotion. But if I knew one thing for sure, it was that I didn't need him.

It didn't take long to find Jeremy- in a camp full of teenage boys, not many people skipped lunch, so it was pretty empty outside. He was sitting on the rickety bleachers that the larger outdoor classes usually used. I hated those things. Mello swore up and down that an inspector had actually condemned them a few years ago, and for once I believed him.

"Hey," I called.

He glanced up. "Matt?"

"Why aren't you at lunch?"

"Oh, you know…" He hesitated. "Watching my weight." He was a shitty liar.

I rolled my eyes and climbed up to sit next to him. "Seriously, man, what's wrong?"

"It's just… Remember that group we had this morning? With Yagami?"

I groaned and leaned back, closing my eyes. "How could I forget? That guy was a dick!"

"You think so?" he whispered.

"Yeah. He was horrible. Why? You know him?"

Jeremy blushed a little. "No, it's not that. It was- well, it kind of freaked me out."

I raised an eyebrow at him, sitting up straight again. "How so?"

It took Jeremy a few seconds to answer. "What if he was right?" Tears began to fall slowly down his cheeks. "What about all that stuff about going to Hell is true?"

"It's not," I reassured him.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know everything." This, at least, got a small smile out of him. "Listen, Jeremy, these guys are assholes, and the entire point of this fucked-up camp is for them to screw with your head. You can't let them get to you this early. If you let them get to you, they win, because it's us versus them here and personally, I'm not going down without a fight."

He sniffled. "Thanks, Matt. I know you're right; I shouldn't care so much about what other people think of me, but…"

"It's cool. Hard not to let this place get you down. Let's go grab a bite to eat before lunch is over."

"Okay. And Matt?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for being so nice to me since we got here."

"What're friends for?"


	8. Mello IV

**Author's Note: So, I'm sure you're all ready to kill me. I don't know why this story takes so long to update; I have one theory that it's because it's such a summer-themed fic and it's currently the middle of January, but who knows? I've been thinking about starting another fic to keep me motivated, or at least to give you all something to read in the meantime. But either way, I promise to at least try to update faster (excluding next week, when I have a legitimate excuse in the form of midterms).**

* * *

><p><span>Mello's POV<span>

I have to admit, I was kind of bummed when Matt left me at lunch. Persistent as I was, I didn't want to be the clingy type, and I was totally comfortable with being overly dependent on people, but I decided to hunt him down anyways.

I was surprised to find him outdoors. He kind of seemed like the indoorsy, practically-allergic-to-the-sun type. Regardless he was sitting on old but sturdy lawn chair in a patch of dirt shaded by some trees. The seats around him were already taken by his cabinmates, so I pushed him over so that we could share.

"Oh, it's you," Jeremy said, a slightly cold edge to his voice. I was pretty sure I'd caught him glaring at me a couple of times, too. I didn't know what his problem was, but it was starting to piss me off.

"The one and only. What're you guys doing?"

"Just hanging out," Ben said good-naturedly. "You're Matt's friend, right?"

"With benefits," I added devilishly.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him. He's just the bane of my existence; nothing more serious than that."

"Aw, c'mon, Mattie…"

"Leave him alone," Jeremy said. "He's already told you he's not interested."

Not him again. "Look, Matt's my friend, too. And if he doesn't want me here he can tell me himself."

Jeremy looked ready to fight but Matt cut in. "Cool it, both of you. Mello, Jeremy's just trying to look out for me. Jeremy, Mello's a good guy if you get to know him, and he's right; we're friends now."

"You couldn't be anything else, anyway," Near said. "The camp has a strict policy against relationships. We're here to get better, remember?" God, that kid was annoying. I'd always tried to avoid being mean to the first-timers, like most of the older campers did, but sometimes they were just so aggravating.

"Alright, alright, calm down," I snapped. "I know the rules as well as anybody. I have to go, anyway."

I started to walk away, but Matt followed me. I tried not to be _too _happy.

"Mello, he sighed once we were out of earshot. "Don't listen to them, okay? They just… they don't know you yet."

"Thanks," I smiled. "But I'm fine. I really did have to go; I have another group in five minutes and it's on the other side of the camp."

He looked a little relieved. So he really did care. "So you promise you're not mad?"

His arms were crossed over his chest, so I decided to chance it: I leaned in and pecked his lips before he had a chance to push me away. "Promise," I grinned.

I assumed he'd hit me, just lightly this time, but he didn't even move his arms. He even smiled as he rolled his eyes. "You just don't quit, do you?"

"Nope. You sure you still want to?"

He smiled seductively and pushed up against me, winding his arms around my neck. "Yep," he whispered, before spinning around and running away.

"Tease!" I called after him.

He didn't even turn around when he yelled, "Don't be late for your group."

I laughed. Matt could be as elusive as he wanted, but he was crazy if he thought I would forget that he'd come to check on me just to make sure I wasn't angry at him. Besides, he wouldn't play with me like that if he didn't like me at least a little. He was practically flirting, for fuck's sake!

So, regardless of its boring beginning, this day was shaping up to be pretty good.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this is so short; it's just that this chapter's kind of a filler. I'm going to get to work on the next chapter right away, and that one will be longer and better. I hope I can get it done by tonight or early tomorrow morning, but I won't have any time to work on it tomorrow, so if it doesn't get done you might not see it until the middle of the week. But it's coming, I promise!**


End file.
